It’s pretty likely the car will get smashed to bits in there, and even if it survives the belt, scientists say that that harsh environment of space will destroy it.

“All of the organics will be subjected to degradation by the various kinds of radiation that you will run into there,” William Carroll, a chemist at Indiana University and expert in plastics and organic molecules, told Live Science.

Caroll believes that the organics – the leather seat, rubber tires and perhaps even the carbon fibre body – will gradually shred to bits and disappear into space.

“Those organics, in that environment, I wouldn’t give them a year,” he said.

Of course, Musk didn’t actually plan on the car surviving, so why did he send it up there?

People have sent messages into space before. Most famous of all are the Voyager Gold Records, which contained music, images and other messages from our world.

Musk’s car is also carrying a message, albeit a much simpler, humbler one. Printed on one of the Roadster’s circuit boards are the words “Made on Earth by humans”.

On a deeper level, Musk’s car in space is symbolic of a new era of space travel. Prior to this, the only entities with the ability and financial means to get into space were government agencies like NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos.

We are now entering an era in which a billionaire with a rocket can send his car to Jupiter and beyond. Why? Because he can. Musk says his ultimate goal is to get us to Mars within the next few decades and going by his track record, I’m inclined to believe him.